Shoe-creaser.



No. 870,265. PATBNTED NOV. "5, 1907.

v 'G H. WILKINS. SHOE GREASER.

APPLICATION FILED J'AN.7.190 7.

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GEORGE H. WILKINS, OF BROOKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GEO. E. KEITH COM- PANY, OF OAMPELLO, MASSACHUSETTS. A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE-GREASEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Application filed January '7 1907. Serial No. 351090.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. WILKINs, of Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Creasers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to implements for creasing the vamp of a shoe while it is on the foot of the wearer, and its object'is to provide a simple instrument of this character which can be easily carried by the user and will be efl icient for the purpose of forming creases on the upper part of the vamp where the shoe wrinkles during the fleXure of the foot incident to walking.

Of the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a creasing implement embodying the features of my invention. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the implement. Fig. 3 represents a view showing the manner in which the implement is used.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

Essentially the tool or implement consists of two stiff wires or rods a and b which, for convenience in use, are attached to a handle 0. These rods are arranged parallel to each other and at a short distance apart. The two members a and b may be separate pieces but preferably they are connected at their ends remote from the handle by a transverse portion d, being formed from a single piece of wire by bending the same double. This construction increases the stiffness of the members a and b and prevents their remote ends from separating, retaining them in parallelism. The ends which are connected to the handle are bent toward each other at e and f, and are inserted into a hole in the end of the handle. At their ends remote from the handle, that is, near the connecting or loop portion d, the members a and b are offset, being bent at the points 5 and 71, both in the same direction, and reversely bent at the points i and j. The reverse bending at the last-named points brings the ends of the members into line with their straight portions and forms an offset angular protuberance which serves to set the crease after the direction has been determined by the straight portion of the wires.

The manner in which the device is used is as follows:

After a shoe has been put on to the foot of the wearer, it is held by the fitter in the manner shown in Fig. 3. The leather of the vamp is pushed back and smoothed by the thumbs of the fitter, and the first crease is set by one of the wires of the implement near the vamp. The crease is started by laying the straight portion of the wire a across the shoe and pressing down on it. This gives the direction of the crease. wire is rubbed back and forth along the crease so Then the started, the angular offset being thus caused to press over a very limited area at a time, and so to impress and set the crease indelibly. In forming the second crease, the first wire a is laid in the crease first formed, and both wires pressed upon the vamp, whereby the second creaseis located parallel with the first, and is then impressed by rubbing the tool back and forth as before described. Subsequent creases are formed in the same manner, the upper part of the vamp being meanwhile gently pushed backward and the shoe and foot bent by successive amounts after the formation of each crease. In forming each crease after the first one, both wires are pressed upon the shoe in order that the indenting of the leather to form the second crease may not so displace and stretch the leather as to obliterate the crease previously formed. That is, the presence and use of both wires at the same time is necessary in order to preserve a crease previously formed when a subsequent one is being produced.

The use of an implement of this character to crease the vamp of a shoe when being first fitted to the foot serves to improve the appearance and increase the life of the shoe. As is well known, the flexure of the foot in walking shortens the length of its upper part and causes the top of the vamp to wrinkle. The wrinkles thus formed appear at the places where the leather is weakest and are always irregular, frequently being connected by cross creases which always give a bad appearance, and in some kinds of leather, such as patent or enameled leather, cause cracks to appear. By the use of the implement hereinbefore described, the wrinkles are caused to appear along the lines where the creases are made, and these lines being straight and parallel, make the shoe when bent, have a better appearance than when the wrinkles and creases are allowed to be formed in the shoe in irregular fashion. At the same time, from the fact that the implement is made of round wires, which do not cut into the leather, but on the contrary, form rounded grooves and con dense or compact the leather, the latter is not weakened by the wrinkles and creases, but is strengthened and rendered more flexible. Thus the wearing qualities of the shoe so treated are much increased.

I claim:

1. An implement for creasing the Vamps of shoes consisting of rods or wires, each having a laterally offset portion intermediate its ends, and arranged with their corresponding portions parallel.

2. An implement for creasing the Vamps of shoes consisting of a handle, and rods or wires secured to the handle extending therefrom parallel to, and somewhat separated from, each other; each rod having near the end remote from the handle an angular bent portion.

3. A shoe-creasing implement consisting of stiff wires parallel to each other connected together at one end, and a handle to which the wires are secured at their other ends; said wires being straight throughout the greater part of their length and offset to form protuberances near their connected ends.

4. A shoe-creasing implement consisting of a stiff wire bent double and having its members arranged parallel to each other and a slight distance apart, the members being formed with similar parallel offset protuberances.

5. An implement for creasing shoes comprising parallel separated members, each having a straight portion for determining the direction of the crease and a protuberant 10 portion of limited extent for indenting and setting the crease.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

. GEORGE H. WILKINS. Witnesses:

WALTER D. LEACH, WALLACE B. CASWELL. 

